1 00:00:10,060 --> 00:00:13,830 Let that happen. But you'll happen, Paul. 2 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:19,450 I am going to deliver a sermon that is written by Doctor Wes 3 00:00:19,460 --> 00:00:24,050 Bredehoft in the Free Reformed Church of Launceston, TAS, 4 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:29,720 Australia and this message was first preached in Australia in 5 00:00:29,730 --> 00:00:36,090 the year 2024. Beloved congregation of Jesus 6 00:00:36,100 --> 00:00:40,710 Christ, it's hard not to begin a sermon related to the Seven 7 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:45,440 Commandment without stating what is obvious, and that is that we 8 00:00:45,450 --> 00:00:50,320 live in an age of sexual license and that means that just about 9 00:00:50,330 --> 00:00:53,080 anything goes. Casual. 10 00:00:53,090 --> 00:00:57,140 Hookups arranged through mobile apps like Tinder are now 11 00:00:57,150 --> 00:01:00,910 considered normal. Fewer people wants to get 12 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:05,530 married and most people prefer to choose to cohabit or to enter 13 00:01:05,540 --> 00:01:10,620 into a live in setup. And when people do get married, 14 00:01:10,850 --> 00:01:13,060 their marriage don't last very long. 15 00:01:14,900 --> 00:01:18,750 Pilipinas we don't have the divorce law yet, but in other 16 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:23,410 countries like in Australia, the average marriage in Australia 17 00:01:23,420 --> 00:01:28,810 lasts only for 13 years and the couple most of them get 18 00:01:28,820 --> 00:01:32,990 separated already at the nine year marked at the two posts 19 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:37,290 Amanda broke broken marriage Natos Among a breakdown among a 20 00:01:37,300 --> 00:01:42,200 marriage, almost always the cause is the infidelity of one's 21 00:01:42,210 --> 00:01:47,410 spouse or both of them. And beloved, we would be kidding 22 00:01:48,030 --> 00:01:52,090 if we will say that this sexual license does not happen inside 23 00:01:52,100 --> 00:01:55,680 the church. We know what the Bible teaches, 24 00:01:55,930 --> 00:01:59,060 we know what the Seven Commandments says, but we also 25 00:01:59,070 --> 00:02:03,700 know that only a few people is committed into keeping the 7th 26 00:02:03,750 --> 00:02:07,880 Commandment, and so maybe we just expect the church goers 27 00:02:07,890 --> 00:02:12,400 will leave sexually immoral lives la Luna Luna Tabata. 28 00:02:13,510 --> 00:02:16,510 And what do we do? Do we just look the other way 29 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:18,130 and pretend that it does not happen? 30 00:02:19,610 --> 00:02:23,480 Or perhaps we'll provide the teenagers or the younger 31 00:02:23,490 --> 00:02:27,180 generations with a means so that they don't get pregnant out of 32 00:02:27,190 --> 00:02:30,620 wedlock, so that they will not embarrass themselves or the 33 00:02:30,630 --> 00:02:35,970 church iguana. We do is what we do is keep the 34 00:02:35,980 --> 00:02:39,920 Seven Commandment. But wink, wink, nudge, nudge, we 35 00:02:39,930 --> 00:02:44,450 know you won't. The church in Thessalonica faced 36 00:02:44,460 --> 00:02:47,620 the same world of sexual license, too. 37 00:02:48,170 --> 00:02:51,040 As new Christians, they've been excited and they've been 38 00:02:51,050 --> 00:02:55,020 conscientious about following God's ways in terms of their 39 00:02:55,070 --> 00:02:58,730 sexuality. In the passage First 40 00:02:58,740 --> 00:03:02,070 Thessalonians that we have read a while ago, Paul encourages 41 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:04,530 them to keep going on this direction. 42 00:03:05,500 --> 00:03:10,160 And these words convicts us and encourages us to, because if 43 00:03:10,170 --> 00:03:15,420 we've been committed to sexual integrity, then God says go and 44 00:03:15,430 --> 00:03:21,870 do it more, do it more and more. However, if we have not been 45 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:26,370 committed and if we have given ourselves to sexual immorality 46 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:31,050 or we have done the wink, wink, nudge, nudge routine, then God 47 00:03:31,060 --> 00:03:35,600 calls us to turn away from our sins and to see how it does not 48 00:03:35,610 --> 00:03:41,050 fit with being a Christian. That's why this afternoon the 49 00:03:41,060 --> 00:03:44,450 sermon that I'm going to deliver can be summarised in the 50 00:03:44,460 --> 00:03:48,690 following title. That God, that God's will is 51 00:03:48,700 --> 00:03:52,010 that we abstain from sexual immorality. 52 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,850 And this afternoon we are going to learn the following points. 53 00:03:55,900 --> 00:03:59,970 Number one, that the command comes in and through our Lord 54 00:03:59,980 --> 00:04:03,950 Jesus Christ #2 that the call is to holiness. 55 00:04:04,150 --> 00:04:08,250 And then lastly, that the consequences of disobedience is 56 00:04:08,260 --> 00:04:10,360 grave. But before that, let us go to 57 00:04:10,370 --> 00:04:14,990 the Lord in prayer. Father God, we thank You for 58 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,700 this opportunity to learn under the preaching of Your Word. 59 00:04:19,510 --> 00:04:24,600 Father, we know that we have many shortcomings and failures 60 00:04:24,770 --> 00:04:27,390 when it comes to obeying the Seven Commandment. 61 00:04:27,830 --> 00:04:31,540 So we pray, Father, that you give us humble hearts as we 62 00:04:31,550 --> 00:04:36,100 listen to Your Word. We pray that You help us lower 63 00:04:36,110 --> 00:04:40,750 our pride and to subject our lives to the Seven Commandments. 64 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:46,710 We pray, Father, that though we are powerless to obey Your Word, 65 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,590 that Your Holy Spirit will empower us and that we will find 66 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:55,990 Your Son as our supreme motivation in obeying Your Word 67 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:58,950 by abstaining from sexual immorality. 68 00:04:59,260 --> 00:05:02,790 So please guide us this afternoon as we hear Your word. 69 00:05:02,850 --> 00:05:09,300 In Jesus name we pray, Amen. Our Catechism gives us a 70 00:05:09,310 --> 00:05:13,000 teaching on the Seven Commandment in the context of 71 00:05:13,010 --> 00:05:17,590 our response to what Christ has done for us in our salvation. 72 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:21,690 Actually, all of the 10 Commandments can be found under 73 00:05:21,700 --> 00:05:27,790 the heading of our thankfulness in the Heidelberg Catechism, and 74 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:31,410 particularly young acting obedience to the 10 Commandment 75 00:05:31,460 --> 00:05:35,310 is our thankfulness to the gift of salvation that we have 76 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,300 received from our Lord Jesus Christ. 77 00:05:39,130 --> 00:05:42,760 And if we are going to keep that in our mind, if we will just put 78 00:05:42,770 --> 00:05:46,560 the truth into our frontal globes, then it will be 79 00:05:46,570 --> 00:05:51,060 impossible for us to approach Lord's Day 41 in a legalistic 80 00:05:51,070 --> 00:05:57,100 way, as if somehow and goal, nothing is to measure up to God. 81 00:05:57,110 --> 00:06:00,350 Parathyroid malitas no mahapatra. 82 00:06:00,390 --> 00:06:03,480 Mahapatra, because that would be legalism. 83 00:06:03,990 --> 00:06:06,440 But the passage that we are looking at in First 84 00:06:06,450 --> 00:06:10,820 Thessalonians has a similar safeguard against legalism. 85 00:06:11,910 --> 00:06:15,260 God's exhortation to the Thessalonians about sexual 86 00:06:15,270 --> 00:06:19,220 integrity is framed with reference to our Lord and 87 00:06:19,230 --> 00:06:23,490 Saviour Jesus Christ. So if you want to know how to 88 00:06:23,500 --> 00:06:27,390 live our lives in a way that is pleasing to God, we just have to 89 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:31,450 fix our eyes in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 90 00:06:32,060 --> 00:06:35,910 And the instruction that Paul gave us about abstaining from 91 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:40,690 sexual immorality came through the Lord and Saviour Jesus 92 00:06:40,700 --> 00:06:44,080 Christ. So here the focus is 93 00:06:44,090 --> 00:06:48,010 particularly on the teaching that the apostle Paul gave 94 00:06:48,060 --> 00:06:52,230 before to the Christians in Thessaloniki in Thesalonika 95 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,750 about abstaining from sexual immorality. 96 00:06:56,260 --> 00:07:01,510 But let us be clear about what that means. 1st and abstaining 97 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:07,200 from sexual immorality, our catechism use use the word 98 00:07:07,450 --> 00:07:11,450 unchastity. You've been in Kanina and when 99 00:07:11,460 --> 00:07:16,640 we say and chastity, it means or it speaks about any unchased 100 00:07:16,700 --> 00:07:22,750 acts, gestures, words, thoughts, desires, and whatever that may 101 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:28,020 entice us into unchastity. But actually we could replace or 102 00:07:28,030 --> 00:07:32,160 substitute the word unchastity with the word sexual immorality 103 00:07:32,210 --> 00:07:36,000 that we have read in First Thessalonians because they both 104 00:07:36,010 --> 00:07:40,120 have the same meaning. Because unchastity and sexual 105 00:07:40,130 --> 00:07:45,170 immorality refers to any way of breaking the 7th commandment. 106 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,570 Now there are two broad categories of sin against the 107 00:07:49,580 --> 00:07:52,770 second commandment. The first one is adultery. 108 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:57,050 And adultery as defined is the breaking of the bonds of 109 00:07:57,060 --> 00:08:01,390 marriage, usually through a sexual intimacy with someone who 110 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:06,220 is not your spouse or someone who is a spouse of another 111 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:09,630 person. So adultery is cheating. 112 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:16,340 It is marital infidelity, but our Lord and Saviour Jesus also 113 00:08:16,350 --> 00:08:20,680 clarified in the Sermon on the Mount that adultery also extends 114 00:08:20,690 --> 00:08:24,120 to the last of our hearts. That's why Sinabi Puna acting 115 00:08:24,130 --> 00:08:27,120 panino on that. If you look at a woman who is 116 00:08:27,130 --> 00:08:31,830 not your wife with lust, then you are committing adultery with 117 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:37,100 that woman in your heart. And that equally applies not 118 00:08:37,110 --> 00:08:40,780 only to men but also to women with respect to men. 119 00:08:41,039 --> 00:08:44,300 And it also applies to same sex attraction. 120 00:08:45,460 --> 00:08:49,630 No one is to have sexual desire for anyone that is not our 121 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,820 spouse. Unpo and Evie sabihin nun 122 00:08:52,830 --> 00:08:58,330 commandment about adultery. But sometimes people will say, 123 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:03,410 well, you can look, but you just can't touch Kaya aluminum 124 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:07,220 important, you know, Sinasabe najiba. 125 00:09:07,850 --> 00:09:11,510 But actually that is just another wink, wink, nudge nudge 126 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:13,940 approach. Because what the Lord says is 127 00:09:13,950 --> 00:09:18,020 that if you look at a woman with lust kahit wala kangaroo in, 128 00:09:18,370 --> 00:09:20,800 then you are already an adulterer. 129 00:09:21,590 --> 00:09:25,640 And if we consider ourselves as Christians, then we should take 130 00:09:25,650 --> 00:09:28,990 our Lord seriously when it comes to this command. 131 00:09:30,850 --> 00:09:35,360 And the second broad category of the sin committed against the 132 00:09:35,370 --> 00:09:38,290 Seven Commandment is the sin of fornication. 133 00:09:39,380 --> 00:09:43,750 For indication refers to all sexual activity apart from a 134 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:49,100 marriage relationship. So if you are engaging in any 135 00:09:49,110 --> 00:09:53,160 sexual activity with a person you are not married to, or 136 00:09:53,170 --> 00:09:57,450 before you become married, then you are committing fornication, 137 00:09:58,710 --> 00:10:02,920 then you have committed a sin against the 7th commandment. 138 00:10:03,590 --> 00:10:08,900 So without going much further into more details, what I would 139 00:10:08,910 --> 00:10:13,520 like to say or what I would like to stress is that fornication is 140 00:10:13,570 --> 00:10:18,520 any sexual activity, so there is no wiggle room for us or for 141 00:10:18,530 --> 00:10:21,530 anyone to rationalise their way out of it. 142 00:10:21,610 --> 00:10:28,030 So in the United parties are being actual intercourse and Amy 143 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:32,960 nakita Lang naman no, when we say fornication, it's all kinds 144 00:10:33,170 --> 00:10:38,910 of sexual activity, so we cannot justify our actions out of it. 145 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:44,230 So when Paul writes in verse 3, the Christians are to abstain 146 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:48,410 from sexual immorality, Paul is basically saying that all 147 00:10:48,420 --> 00:10:53,790 Christians must avoid all forms of adultery and all forms of 148 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:58,360 fornication because any and every form of sexual 149 00:10:58,370 --> 00:11:03,680 transgression is supposed to be off limits to all Christians, to 150 00:11:03,690 --> 00:11:07,740 all people who claim that they have a relationship with Jesus 151 00:11:07,750 --> 00:11:11,920 Christ. And notice Magkapatid that this 152 00:11:11,930 --> 00:11:15,080 command does not come with an exception. 153 00:11:15,710 --> 00:11:19,240 Hindus in Abbey New Apostle Paul that we should abstain from 154 00:11:19,250 --> 00:11:23,950 sexual immorality unless you are 25 years old and below no what 155 00:11:23,960 --> 00:11:27,590 long Sina bingo exemption or anything like that. 156 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:32,470 Because everyone in the church, young or old, if they consider 157 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:35,990 themselves to be Christians, then we are supposed to subject 158 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,970 ourselves under the 7th commandment. 159 00:11:40,580 --> 00:11:44,950 And that is because Mahatid the teaching of Jesus Christ about 160 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:49,270 the second commandment comes in the Lord Jesus as it says in 161 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:54,170 verse 1 and comes through the Lord Jesus as it says in verse 162 00:11:54,180 --> 00:11:57,220 2. And that is something that we 163 00:11:57,230 --> 00:12:00,870 should not just gloss over with. That's just something that he 164 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:04,950 did that in Dapat. Let the one the moral of the 165 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:09,090 teaching is about abstaining from sexual immorality through 166 00:12:09,100 --> 00:12:12,070 the lens of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 167 00:12:12,620 --> 00:12:15,340 When the apostle Paul brought the teaching to the test 168 00:12:15,350 --> 00:12:19,830 Solonians about abstaining from sexual immorality, he brought it 169 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:25,370 in the context of who Christ is and what Christ has done for all 170 00:12:25,380 --> 00:12:28,980 of us. So you can imagine for a moment 171 00:12:29,030 --> 00:12:32,820 the Apostle Paul there in Thessalonica, he's preaching to 172 00:12:32,830 --> 00:12:36,940 the new Christians and epilogue, Nathan for a moment, Natalia 173 00:12:36,950 --> 00:12:41,560 Inagi, Evesdrop Donsa teaching the apostle Paul someone new 174 00:12:41,570 --> 00:12:46,470 Christians in Thessalonica and he will say something like this 175 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:49,780 one. Many of you have lived in the 176 00:12:49,790 --> 00:12:53,550 world as worldly people. You have bagages. 177 00:12:53,820 --> 00:12:57,480 You have committed fornication and adultery before you knew the 178 00:12:57,490 --> 00:13:02,150 Lord Jesus Christ, but now you have heard the gospel and you 179 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:05,430 have believed it. You know that your past sins are 180 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,910 already forgiven because of what He did on the cross on your 181 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:12,000 behalf. You know that He took the hell 182 00:13:12,010 --> 00:13:14,360 and the wrath of God that you deserve. 183 00:13:15,150 --> 00:13:19,220 You are now at peace with God because you are now in Christ. 184 00:13:19,730 --> 00:13:22,410 That would be the encouragement of the Apostle Paul. 185 00:13:23,110 --> 00:13:27,520 So you can imagine what kind of relief you will hear if you are 186 00:13:27,530 --> 00:13:31,010 a Christian in that time who have committed sexual immorality 187 00:13:31,250 --> 00:13:35,060 before you became a Christian, or even after you became a 188 00:13:35,070 --> 00:13:37,300 Christian. So much apathy. 189 00:13:37,310 --> 00:13:43,200 The point is, there is grace at the cross for everyone who has 190 00:13:43,210 --> 00:13:47,780 committed the sin, and it was true in the time of the Apostle 191 00:13:47,790 --> 00:13:50,760 Paul, and it is still true until now. 192 00:13:52,070 --> 00:13:55,120 But then the Apostle Paul will go on to say something like 193 00:13:55,130 --> 00:13:57,660 this. But the good news gets even 194 00:13:57,670 --> 00:14:02,440 better because the Lord Jesus also lived a perfect life in 195 00:14:02,450 --> 00:14:05,490 your place when he was still on earth. 196 00:14:05,560 --> 00:14:10,190 He did not commit A and a violation against the Seven 197 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,190 Commandment. He never fornicated, He never 198 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:17,790 committed adultery against anyone, but On the contrary, he 199 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:20,710 remained faithful to His bride, the Church. 200 00:14:21,510 --> 00:14:26,660 And that is for our benefit, because when we trust in the 201 00:14:26,670 --> 00:14:32,320 Lord Jesus, all of his obedience will be accounted to our side. 202 00:14:32,370 --> 00:14:37,580 It will be for our own benefit so that when God looks at you, 203 00:14:37,670 --> 00:14:42,320 God's looks through Christ and when He sees you, He sees 204 00:14:42,330 --> 00:14:47,220 someone who has obeyed the seven commandment perfectly. 205 00:14:49,840 --> 00:14:54,170 Kayapo I Partena Congregation Nantes Salonika, at that time, 206 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:57,970 I'm sure you will be encouraged because if I was there, then I 207 00:14:57,980 --> 00:15:01,630 am sure that I would be encouraged as well. 208 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:06,180 And then the apostle Paul will go on to say, now you are in 209 00:15:06,190 --> 00:15:09,960 Christ Jesus. You are united to Him by God's 210 00:15:09,970 --> 00:15:14,520 grace through the Holy Spirit. Christ is divine and you are the 211 00:15:14,530 --> 00:15:18,240 branches. He is the Master, and you are 212 00:15:18,310 --> 00:15:21,420 the disciples. And what that means, beloved, is 213 00:15:21,430 --> 00:15:25,520 that your life is supposed to be more and more like His life. 214 00:15:27,010 --> 00:15:31,400 And this is how we are supposed to walk and how we are supposed 215 00:15:31,570 --> 00:15:34,450 to please God. I think I've been Apostle Paul, 216 00:15:35,070 --> 00:15:39,210 you have been doing it already, and all you have to do is to 217 00:15:39,220 --> 00:15:44,620 keep doing it more and more. So you see that is how this 218 00:15:44,630 --> 00:15:48,280 instruction comes in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus 219 00:15:48,290 --> 00:15:52,600 Christ, because the instruction is not about legalism. 220 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:57,810 We are not about to abstain from sexual immorality so that we can 221 00:15:57,860 --> 00:16:01,250 obtain the standard of God, because that would be impossible 222 00:16:01,310 --> 00:16:04,150 for us. But we are going to do this in 223 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:07,830 response to the to the salvation that we have received from Jesus 224 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:12,460 Christ and it is carried out in our union with Him. 225 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,170 And with that we will now go to our second point. 226 00:16:18,460 --> 00:16:22,950 Our second point is that the call is a call to holiness. 227 00:16:24,070 --> 00:16:28,480 What we have in the passage that we are looking into is God's 228 00:16:28,490 --> 00:16:32,180 will in Christ Jesus for our sanctification. 229 00:16:32,830 --> 00:16:36,000 And to remind you, brothers and sisters, the definition of 230 00:16:36,010 --> 00:16:40,900 sanctification is that is it is the process of growing in 231 00:16:40,910 --> 00:16:45,060 holiness. This whole passage is a call to 232 00:16:45,070 --> 00:16:50,070 holiness, and holiness is mentioned in First Thessalonians 233 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:55,940 483 times, 1 to 8, three times. So the first one young world, 234 00:16:55,950 --> 00:16:58,510 the sanctification of verse three that can also be 235 00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:03,690 translated to holiness. And then the same word is found 236 00:17:03,740 --> 00:17:11,829 in verse 4 and in four verse 7. So able study now means Bahor 237 00:17:12,060 --> 00:17:16,390 meron programming observation about the repetitive words. 238 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:22,240 So words we had new word neon eye importante. 239 00:17:22,550 --> 00:17:26,520 So since we have seen the word holy in this passage three 240 00:17:26,530 --> 00:17:31,600 times, then that means the word holiness is very important in 241 00:17:31,610 --> 00:17:36,080 this message. To be holy means to be set 242 00:17:36,090 --> 00:17:40,530 apart. God says in first Peter 116 You 243 00:17:40,540 --> 00:17:46,450 shall be holy, for I am holy. Although we know that no one can 244 00:17:46,460 --> 00:17:50,250 be holy in the same way that God is holy, because God is 245 00:17:50,260 --> 00:17:54,070 different, He is completely set apart from sin and from all 246 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:58,180 kinds of evil. However, brothers and sisters, 247 00:17:58,350 --> 00:18:02,720 because we are called children of God, then we ought to become 248 00:18:02,850 --> 00:18:07,310 like Him. So if God has nothing to do with 249 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:11,720 sin, then we also should have nothing to do with sin. 250 00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:15,290 Then we are to strive for that in our lives. 251 00:18:16,610 --> 00:18:21,360 Here in this passage, we are told that we are to be holy with 252 00:18:21,370 --> 00:18:26,940 regard to our sexuality. The world around us has its own 253 00:18:26,950 --> 00:18:30,380 way of behaving. Kayanga was averse pipe. 254 00:18:30,430 --> 00:18:34,960 It speaks about the passion of loss of the gentiles, the 255 00:18:34,970 --> 00:18:37,420 unbelieving world. When they see a beautiful 256 00:18:37,430 --> 00:18:40,340 person, the first thing that comes into their mind is how to 257 00:18:40,350 --> 00:18:44,490 get what they want from that person because they are driven 258 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,410 by their loss. So they go from one sexual 259 00:18:48,420 --> 00:18:51,150 partner to another without giving it a second thought. 260 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:56,790 Every weekend it's someone new, it's a different person and they 261 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:01,970 do this because they don't know God and that means they don't 262 00:19:01,980 --> 00:19:06,120 have a healthy and friendly relationship with Him. 263 00:19:07,220 --> 00:19:11,230 They are not at peace with God and so that is the reason why 264 00:19:11,300 --> 00:19:15,810 they live this way. However, brothers and sisters, 265 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:21,670 we do know God and if we do know God, then we should be different 266 00:19:21,740 --> 00:19:25,690 or set apart from the world. We should be distinct from the 267 00:19:25,700 --> 00:19:30,230 rest of the world. Therefore, this passion of lust 268 00:19:30,380 --> 00:19:34,690 that is very evident in the unbelieving Gentiles must not be 269 00:19:34,740 --> 00:19:38,880 our story. Instead, if we are Christians, 270 00:19:39,070 --> 00:19:43,680 then we should be controlling our bodies in holiness and in 271 00:19:43,690 --> 00:19:49,340 honour because as Paul says in First Corinthians 6, our bodies 272 00:19:49,430 --> 00:19:54,890 are temples of the Holy Spirit and that means it matters what 273 00:19:54,900 --> 00:20:00,640 we do with our bodies also also in terms of our sexuality. 274 00:20:01,470 --> 00:20:03,890 So we just can't do whatever we want. 275 00:20:04,250 --> 00:20:08,600 We just can't obey whatever the first thing that pops up into 276 00:20:08,610 --> 00:20:11,460 our mind. But we have to learn how to 277 00:20:11,470 --> 00:20:14,160 control our lust and our desires. 278 00:20:14,430 --> 00:20:20,680 We have to know how to say no to our passions and in order to 279 00:20:20,690 --> 00:20:26,040 learn this magkapatid, we have to start by praying for the help 280 00:20:26,110 --> 00:20:31,000 of the Holy Spirit, because we know that in ourselves we don't 281 00:20:31,010 --> 00:20:35,860 have the power to to defeat the power of lust, but the Holy 282 00:20:35,870 --> 00:20:40,190 Spirit does. That's why we should begin with 283 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:44,020 prayer, and then we further learn this by reminding 284 00:20:44,030 --> 00:20:48,860 ourselves of what God's will is for our lives as revealed in His 285 00:20:48,870 --> 00:20:53,110 Word. And then lastly, when our minds 286 00:20:53,120 --> 00:20:58,750 are clear kapak tayo I valanti nakahara temptation, then we 287 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:01,830 should be committed to do the right thing. 288 00:21:02,580 --> 00:21:07,710 I think is Wagner thing Ilalagay young acting Massarelli 289 00:21:07,900 --> 00:21:12,590 supposition Alam natin tayo I made them cause some problem 290 00:21:13,290 --> 00:21:22,640 Cristiano ohh the Mallard not Bible Malabanan young Las at 291 00:21:22,650 --> 00:21:27,030 young temptation kita yota was. After that, we will put 292 00:21:27,090 --> 00:21:30,160 ourselves on a situation that we will be tempted. 293 00:21:30,980 --> 00:21:34,330 If we are going to do that, then we are just fooling ourselves. 294 00:21:34,340 --> 00:21:37,880 Mangaka Patti. So what we should do is that we 295 00:21:37,890 --> 00:21:40,080 should pray for the power of the Holy Spirit. 296 00:21:40,290 --> 00:21:43,400 We should remind ourselves of the will of God in our lives 297 00:21:43,410 --> 00:21:48,060 when it comes to our sexuality and when our minds our is clear. 298 00:21:48,290 --> 00:21:52,580 We should be committed to not put ourselves in a situation 299 00:21:52,650 --> 00:21:55,030 where we know we will all be tempted. 300 00:21:57,270 --> 00:22:00,900 Well, sometimes you will hear about these people who will call 301 00:22:00,910 --> 00:22:05,310 themselves as sex positive Christians. 302 00:22:06,270 --> 00:22:11,020 If that is the first time you ever heard that at Nashua there 303 00:22:11,030 --> 00:22:17,010 is such a term as sex positive Christians and this so-called 304 00:22:17,020 --> 00:22:19,940 Christians. They think that churches like us 305 00:22:20,090 --> 00:22:22,690 are too negative about our sexuality. 306 00:22:23,250 --> 00:22:27,860 They think that we have just too many strict rules and they say 307 00:22:27,870 --> 00:22:32,000 that you know, God's will for our lives is for us to enjoy and 308 00:22:32,010 --> 00:22:36,710 to celebrate our sexuality. Welcome to thousand. 309 00:22:36,780 --> 00:22:40,830 I would certainly agree with them, provided that our 310 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:44,750 sexuality will always be within the bounds that God has revealed 311 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:49,230 in the Bible. Because apart from marriage, 312 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:55,050 sexuality with God will come with a lot of problems because 313 00:22:55,060 --> 00:23:01,510 the only natural and rightful place of of sex is only within 314 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:06,600 the context of marriage. While Anna Ibaba don't unsex 315 00:23:06,660 --> 00:23:11,520 another opening bounds non marriage then 100% we can be 316 00:23:11,570 --> 00:23:16,630 positive about it. So the call here is to holiness 317 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:21,690 and self-control, and when that call is heeded, then things will 318 00:23:21,700 --> 00:23:23,900 be moving in the right direction. 319 00:23:24,550 --> 00:23:29,080 And it's for our own good, and it's for our own flourishing. 320 00:23:30,510 --> 00:23:34,720 And in verse 6, there's one more element to this call to 321 00:23:34,730 --> 00:23:38,890 holiness. Sexual sin often involves 322 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:42,560 transgression or are wrong against another person. 323 00:23:44,190 --> 00:23:48,670 Naturally, we think of the harmful, harmful effect caused 324 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:54,070 by cheating and adultery because when you commit cheating or 325 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:59,250 adultery, you are hurting the other person's spouse by doing 326 00:23:59,300 --> 00:24:03,750 that act, regardless of how healthy or unhealthy their 327 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:08,500 marriage is. Marathi Just because someone is 328 00:24:08,510 --> 00:24:13,220 in an unhappy relationship, or in an unhealthy or even in an 329 00:24:13,230 --> 00:24:17,460 abusive marriage, it does not give us a green light to commit 330 00:24:17,510 --> 00:24:22,210 adultery with them. Because adultery is adultery, 331 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:27,370 and it's still wicked and we can never ever justify it. 332 00:24:29,380 --> 00:24:34,740 But there is another angle to this, and it has to do with the 333 00:24:34,750 --> 00:24:38,980 Lord's Supper. Whenever we have the Lord's 334 00:24:38,990 --> 00:24:42,720 Supper, we hear the Lord's Supper form, and we are again 335 00:24:42,730 --> 00:24:47,280 reminded that those who don't keep their bodies pure within or 336 00:24:47,290 --> 00:24:52,060 outside the bonds of marriage, those who persist in sin and do 337 00:24:52,070 --> 00:24:55,580 not abstain themselves from sexual immorality, are not 338 00:24:55,590 --> 00:24:57,820 supposed to partake in the Lord's Supper. 339 00:24:58,310 --> 00:25:01,400 Why? Because they are going to bring 340 00:25:01,410 --> 00:25:08,840 judgment upon themselves. That the Scriptures teaches us 341 00:25:09,330 --> 00:25:13,100 that they are not only bringing judgment upon themselves, but 342 00:25:13,110 --> 00:25:16,780 they are also inviting the wrath of God upon the whole 343 00:25:16,830 --> 00:25:20,450 congregation. And that is what we will read in 344 00:25:20,460 --> 00:25:25,000 First Corinthians 11. So if there is someone in our 345 00:25:25,010 --> 00:25:28,000 congregation who is not abstaining from sexual 346 00:25:28,010 --> 00:25:31,520 immorality and still participating in the Lord's 347 00:25:31,530 --> 00:25:36,270 Supper, in the Lord's Supper, then, brothers and sisters, it 348 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:39,690 affects us all. It does not only affect that 349 00:25:39,700 --> 00:25:44,320 person, it affects us all because they are not only 350 00:25:44,330 --> 00:25:47,900 transgressing against God, but they are also transgressing 351 00:25:47,910 --> 00:25:50,240 against their brothers and sisters. 352 00:25:50,730 --> 00:25:56,000 And that makes sexual immorality in the church a very selfish 353 00:25:56,050 --> 00:26:02,190 sin. The Beyond no. 354 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:06,610 When we do that, the whole congregation will suffer the 355 00:26:06,620 --> 00:26:12,250 wrath of God, and this kind of disobedience will receive grave 356 00:26:12,260 --> 00:26:15,140 consequences. And there are natural 357 00:26:15,150 --> 00:26:19,320 consequences to sexual immorality, and one of them is 358 00:26:19,330 --> 00:26:24,060 the possibility of contracting sexually transmitted disease. 359 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:28,330 And nobody there are sexually transmitted diseases that are 360 00:26:28,340 --> 00:26:33,050 curable, but there are some types that are debilitating and 361 00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:37,610 incurable. That's why not commit nonsexual 362 00:26:37,620 --> 00:26:40,330 immorality. And then when they enter into 363 00:26:40,340 --> 00:26:45,190 marriage, they struggle with sexual intimacy, and the 364 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:48,570 consequences goes on and on and on. 365 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:55,570 But our passage this afternoon focuses on the grave spiritual 366 00:26:55,860 --> 00:27:00,560 consequence of sexual immorality and not abstaining from it. 367 00:27:01,530 --> 00:27:06,420 In verse 6 it says that the Lord Jesus is The Avengers in all 368 00:27:06,430 --> 00:27:09,080 these things. And when we say that he is an 369 00:27:09,090 --> 00:27:12,860 avenger in all these things, it means that He is someone who 370 00:27:12,870 --> 00:27:16,940 brings justice. Vengeance is mine. 371 00:27:16,990 --> 00:27:21,880 I will repay, says the Lord. Vengeance means avenge. 372 00:27:21,890 --> 00:27:26,760 Avenging it means repaying. It means bringing justice. 373 00:27:27,250 --> 00:27:31,800 And when Christ returns, he will judge the world, and he will 374 00:27:31,810 --> 00:27:35,560 bring his justice, and he will bring his vengeance. 375 00:27:36,990 --> 00:27:40,720 But for Christians, this is nothing for you to fear. 376 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:45,690 If you are someone who is struggling with the temptation 377 00:27:45,700 --> 00:27:49,990 of sexual immorality, but you hate your sin and you are 378 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,370 fighting your sin, and you are trusting in God that He has 379 00:27:53,380 --> 00:27:56,360 forgiven your sin through Christ, then you are then you 380 00:27:56,370 --> 00:27:59,700 have nothing to fear. Then you have to be at peace. 381 00:27:59,890 --> 00:28:04,400 On the contrary, you have to look forward to the coming of 382 00:28:04,410 --> 00:28:11,020 Jesus Christ. However, if you live in sin and 383 00:28:11,030 --> 00:28:15,170 if you don't want to repent and you are still undergoing or you 384 00:28:15,180 --> 00:28:19,650 are still committing sexual immorality, then I'm afraid this 385 00:28:19,660 --> 00:28:24,140 warning is here for you. So pay attention. 386 00:28:25,130 --> 00:28:29,240 Christ is coming to judge the unrepentant sinners. 387 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:34,330 And let's let us take note what God says in First Corinthian 6. 388 00:28:34,740 --> 00:28:38,580 In First Corinthian 6, there is a list there of people who will 389 00:28:38,590 --> 00:28:43,180 not inherit the Kingdom of God. That means there is a list of 390 00:28:43,190 --> 00:28:48,570 people who will not be saved, who will not enter heaven, and 391 00:28:48,580 --> 00:28:53,430 the list includes those who are sexually immorals, the 392 00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:58,110 adulterers, and those who practice sexual or those who 393 00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:02,980 practice homosexuality. All of those sins that were 394 00:29:02,990 --> 00:29:06,860 mentioned are sins against the 7th commandment. 395 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:11,390 So if you live in those sins and you don't hate them and you 396 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:15,620 don't fight them, then I'm afraid probably you are not a 397 00:29:15,630 --> 00:29:19,080 Christian and you are not going to heaven. 398 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:26,540 If that is true, my friend, then my heart breaks for you, and I 399 00:29:26,550 --> 00:29:30,340 believe that every true Christian's heart will break for 400 00:29:30,350 --> 00:29:34,390 you. So don't go this way. 401 00:29:35,810 --> 00:29:40,760 It's far better to turn from our sin and to turn to Christ and 402 00:29:40,770 --> 00:29:43,010 find forgiveness and life in Him. 403 00:29:44,170 --> 00:29:48,480 He stands with His open arms, ready to embrace anyone who 404 00:29:48,490 --> 00:29:53,450 comes to Him with brokenness, with a humble heart, with 405 00:29:53,460 --> 00:30:00,230 repentance of their sins. In Marapatti, the weightiness of 406 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:03,820 what this passage is is underlined in verse 8. 407 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:08,590 Because the seven commandment and everything that flows in it, 408 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:13,330 it is from the Bible. It's not from human beings. 409 00:30:14,270 --> 00:30:17,580 The 7th commandment is given to us by God. 410 00:30:18,340 --> 00:30:22,210 It is God who instituted marriage from the very 411 00:30:22,220 --> 00:30:26,130 beginning. It is God who ordained that 412 00:30:26,140 --> 00:30:29,670 marriage would be a lifelong covenant between a man and a 413 00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:32,980 woman. So if you are going to disregard 414 00:30:33,030 --> 00:30:36,900 this teachings, then you are not disregarding man, but you are 415 00:30:36,910 --> 00:30:42,210 disregarding God. And that is a massively 416 00:30:42,260 --> 00:30:46,660 dangerous thing to do, because disregarding God is like 417 00:30:46,670 --> 00:30:51,940 slapping him in the face. And imagine it's slapping an 418 00:30:51,950 --> 00:30:57,750 infinitely holy God in the face. What a dreadful thing to do, and 419 00:30:57,760 --> 00:31:03,150 what a foolish thing to do. And it's even more dreadful and 420 00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:07,150 foolish when we consider that the Holy Spirit dwells in all of 421 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:10,890 us because God poured us the Holy Spirit. 422 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:14,550 The Holy Spirit is not only poured out to the Apostle Paul 423 00:31:14,620 --> 00:31:18,010 or to a certain group of elite special Christians. 424 00:31:18,100 --> 00:31:22,230 No, the Holy Spirit is poured out to the church. 425 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:26,300 So all of us are being indwelt now by the Holy Spirit. 426 00:31:26,820 --> 00:31:29,800 And since we have been receiving, since we have 427 00:31:29,810 --> 00:31:33,070 received the Holy Spirit, and since we have the presence and 428 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:36,720 the power of the Holy Spirit, then we must keep in step with 429 00:31:36,730 --> 00:31:41,080 the Holy Spirit. And that means that we should 430 00:31:41,130 --> 00:31:47,790 obey God by taking seriously what He says, by abstaining from 431 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:54,110 sexual immorality. Beloved, sexual lust is one of 432 00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:56,130 the most powerful forces on earth. 433 00:31:57,280 --> 00:32:02,010 Alam Nuba, that in response to sexual stimuli, our own bodies 434 00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:09,100 produces its own opioides. No wonder the power of lust is 435 00:32:09,110 --> 00:32:14,980 comparable to drugs. And sometimes it can feel like 436 00:32:14,990 --> 00:32:18,840 our own bodies wants to destroy us with the loss that is within. 437 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:23,150 And that not only that, we also have the world. 438 00:32:24,230 --> 00:32:27,480 Sexuality is an area where the world is putting enormous 439 00:32:27,490 --> 00:32:31,050 pressure on the church, and often successfully so. 440 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:36,500 And to top it off, we also have Satan who wants to destroy the 441 00:32:36,510 --> 00:32:40,850 church from the inside out by having us thoroughly compromised 442 00:32:40,860 --> 00:32:43,670 when it comes to our sexual integrity. 443 00:32:44,790 --> 00:32:49,200 So, brothers and sisters, it's only in Christ and in His power 444 00:32:49,210 --> 00:32:53,000 that we will be able to stand a chance against these formidable 445 00:32:53,010 --> 00:32:57,360 forces. So look to Him for your 446 00:32:57,370 --> 00:33:00,220 forgiveness. Let's look to Christ for the 447 00:33:00,230 --> 00:33:04,080 forgiveness of our sexual sins. Let's look to Him for the 448 00:33:04,090 --> 00:33:09,180 perfect obedience that we need to stand before God, but also 449 00:33:09,190 --> 00:33:13,680 let us look to Him to live in union with Him as one of His 450 00:33:13,690 --> 00:33:15,680 disciples. Amen. 451 00:33:15,950 --> 00:33:21,350 Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Almighty and Most Holy God, 452 00:33:22,500 --> 00:33:25,810 thank you for the Lord Jesus and what He did on the cross to 453 00:33:25,820 --> 00:33:29,620 bring us peace with you. We have transgressed the Seven 454 00:33:29,630 --> 00:33:33,660 Commandment in various ways and we need Christ Blood to cover 455 00:33:33,670 --> 00:33:36,880 us. Thank you for Jesus and his 456 00:33:36,890 --> 00:33:41,640 perfect life of obedience to we need that perfect obedience in 457 00:33:41,650 --> 00:33:45,500 order to be in fellowship with you, and you proved it in your 458 00:33:45,510 --> 00:33:48,310 Son. But we also thank you for the 459 00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:51,700 moral teaching of Your Word. We thank you for the Seven 460 00:33:51,710 --> 00:33:55,040 Commandment and the way it leads us to blessing and to 461 00:33:55,050 --> 00:33:58,680 flourishing. Please help us all, whether we 462 00:33:58,690 --> 00:34:02,220 are young or old, to abstain from sexual immorality. 463 00:34:02,830 --> 00:34:06,640 Give us the strength with your Holy Spirit to hate all sexual 464 00:34:06,650 --> 00:34:10,580 sin and fight against it with Your Spirit. 465 00:34:10,790 --> 00:34:14,820 Please give us power to control our bodies in holiness and in 466 00:34:14,830 --> 00:34:16,389 honour. Ohh. 467 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:21,050 God, please help us to be holy like you are holy, for your 468 00:34:21,060 --> 00:34:24,310 glory and for our good. Amen.